This article was co-authored by our trained team of editors and researchers who validated it for accuracy and comprehensiveness. wikiHow's Content Management Team carefully monitors the work from our editorial staff to ensure that each article meets our high standards.

wikiHow marks an article as reader-approved once it receives enough positive feedback. This article has over 2,072,977 views, and 96% of readers who voted found it helpful. It also received 16 testimonials from readers, earning it our reader-approved status.
Learn more...

Hugging someone is a great way to show your affection. There are different types and levels of affection, and the way you'd hug a crying child is different from the way you'd hug your best friend after winning a softball match. Hugging your partner romantically is also different and calls for specific touches. This wikiHow will give you some tips on how to hug someone more romantically.

Steps

Method1

The Frontal Hug

1

Position your arms to draw your torsos together. In a romantic hug, your torsos—your chests and stomachs—will touch. This is a wonderfully warm and intimate position that emphasizes closeness.[1]

Generally, the taller hugger puts their arms around the waist of the shorter person, while the shorter hugger puts their arms around the neck or shoulders of the taller person. The opposite can also happen, especially if there's a big height difference: the taller person places their arms around the other person's shoulders (and draws them into their chest), while the other person wraps their arms around the waist.

2

Make head contact. Leaning your head on or against someone is a signal of intimacy. Move your head to the side as you lean in to give a romantic hug (in the US, most people will automatically move to their right.) Don't go too far to the side, though—you want your cheek to brush up against the other person's face. To add an extra romantic touch, nuzzle your head or even your face into the head/neck of the other person (or chest, if you're much shorter than the person you're hugging).[2]

3

Squeeze and hold. A romantic hug lasts longer than a platonic hug. Gently clutch a little tighter for two or three seconds. Take a deep breath and exhale; relax into the hug and enjoy it. Note that your squeeze should be strong enough to be noticeable, but not so tight that it prevents him or her from breathing normally. Causing your hugging partner to pass out from lack of oxygen is not considered romantic in most circles.[3]

4

Use your hands. Rub one of your hands on their back or arm a few times. Or if your hand is by the person's head, gently stroke their hair, or the back of their neck. A slow caress is romantic. A brisk caress is comical, unless it's freezing outside and you're warming up your hugging partner.

5

Let go slowly. As you pull away, keep your hands on the other person so you're still touching each other after you hug. This is a good time to look into each other's eyes, smile, and speak from the heart.

Method2

The Front-to-Back Hug

1

Come from behind. One way to enhance spontaneity is to surprise your love with a hug from behind. As long as they aren't doing anything too important, wrapping your arms around their waist, and resting your head against theirs can be a super sweet surprise.

2

Stand behind the person you are going to hug. Press your torso up against the back person you are hugging, and wrap your arms around them. It doesn't matter so much if you are taller or shorter, other than where your hands will end up.

Generally, the taller hugger relaxes their upper arms, and reaches around to hug with their lower arms. The shorter hugger can hold their arms straight out, rather than bending at the elbow.

3

Place your arms in front. You can "stack" one arm on top of the other, one arm in front of the other, or even reach up over the chest and hold the shoulders of the person you are hugging; it all depends on the size of your arms and the size of the hugged one where your arms are best placed.

4

Make head contact. Like the front-facing hug, leaning your head on or against someone is a signal of intimacy. If you are as tall or taller than the hugged one, you can nuzzle their face or neck. If you are shorter, you can rest your head sideways on their back.

5

Squeeze and hold. A romantic hug lasts longer than a platonic hug. Gently clutch a little tighter for two or three seconds. Take a deep breath and exhale; relax into the hug and enjoy it.

6

Use your hands. For the person being hugged, caressing your huggers arms is a natural, lovely touch. You can also reach back and caress their face or hair. For the hugger, though, caressing can become fairly intimate without much effort. If you're at that level with the person you are hugging, this is a delightful way to begin intimacies. If not, proceed with caution. It can result in the ice being broken, or your nose being broken. A slow caress is romantic.

7

Rotate your hugged one around. Enjoy a front-facing hug as you enjoy the closeness of your partner. Should you need further direction, start at the top of the page again. Enjoy!

Think about what you want. Communicate your boundaries clearly. Tell them what you will and won't do. If they try to pressure you to do something you're not comfortable with after you've communicated your boundaries, you should break up with them, because they don't respect you.

There isn't a set amount of time, as long as you both feel comfortable with it. If she starts to fidget or tries to move, then you’ll know she’s getting bored or uncomfortable. If you want to spice it up a bit, start kissing her neck while your hugging her from behind, short pecks with your lips parted slightly.

Tips

A hug brings someone up close and personal, so keep body odor at bay. At the same time, remember that perfume, cologne and breath mints can all make a romantic hug more enjoyable when used lightly. Nothing can draw you out of the moment more than an unpleasant odor emanating from you or your partner, and this can include overpowering perfume.

Hugging is like dancing or kissing; it's interactive. You feed off the energy of the other person, and you can't force a response.

Do everything slowly. Quick grab-and-grins are for people you don't know or family members you don't particularly like; slower hugs are meant for someone whose presence you want to savor. Also, because a romantic hug is such an intimate interaction, you'll want to give the other person plenty of time to stop you if he or she feels uncomfortable. Don't move at a glacial pace, but do lean in slowly enough that the other person can know what you're doing.

Try the front to back hug under the stars, and after the hug, stay in the position and give your partner a goodnight kiss.

Make sure your heart is close to your partner's. You both feel really cozy snuggled up.

A good way to show your love is to hug someone close, while softly playing with their hair and resting your head against theirs. Also, tell them how much that moment means to you; people love knowing that you love the moment as much as they do.

Warnings

Not everyone enjoys hugging, even in a romantic relationship. It's important to communicate openly if you feel your hugging gesture has been rebuffed and to accept it if you discover that your partner really doesn't like being hugged.

Don't hug someone without permission, even if you're in a relationship.

To hug romantically, wrap your arms around your partner's waist if you're taller than them, or wrap your arms around their neck if you're shorter. Then, when you're hugging, nuzzle your head into your partner's chest or neck to make the hug more intimate. You can also rub your hands on their arm or back a few times. When you're finished, let go slowly, and try looking into your partner's eyes for a moment. To learn how to romantically hug someone from behind, scroll down!

Did this summary help you?

Article Info

FEATURED ARTICLE

This article was co-authored by our trained team of editors and researchers who validated it for accuracy and comprehensiveness. wikiHow's Content Management Team carefully monitors the work from our editorial staff to ensure that each article meets our high standards.

Thanks to all authors for creating a page that has been read 2,072,977 times.

Did this article help you?

Cookies make wikiHow better. By continuing to use our site, you agree to our cookie policy.

Co-Authored By:

wikiHow Staff Editor

Co-authors: 104

Updated:

Views: 2,072,977

96% of readers found this article helpful.

23 votes - 96%

Click a star to add your vote

96% of people told us that this article helped them.

SS

Sajedeh Sahranavard

Mar 12, 2017

"I fell in love with my best friend! School finished in my country and that is awful because I can't see her again. Actually, next year I want to go to University and, when we wanted to say goodbye, I was sick and I was alone. My head was on my table and suddenly she comes to my class and touches my face. It makes me relaxed and interesting. I go out from the class and hug her for a long time. She laughs when I do this and when I come out from her arms she saw my eyes have tears! "..." more

A

Anonymous

Nov 25, 2017

"Grab her around the waist and make her feel secure and warm. I am the girl and it kind of makes sense. Now I have to teach him that."..." more

A

Anonymous

Apr 6, 2018

"Letting me know to elongate the hug worked great with my partner. Also, the positioning of the arms was helpful as well."..." more

A

Anonymous

Dec 18, 2017

"It helped me know that there are different ways to hug your partner and not only that, it's also romantic!"